Trans Mongolian Adventure

23 days - from $3695

A new take on an old favourite – this exciting rail journey takes us from the understated elegance of St Petersburg to post-Olympics Beijing. After exploring cosmopolitan St Petersburg and Moscow, we embark on our rail odyssey - traversing this huge land and witnessing its gradual metamorphosis from Europe to Asia. Next stop is Siberia where we enjoy some Russian hospitality in Irkutsk and at Lake Baikal, before journeying south - to Mongolia! Our program is unique as we catch a local train into the Gobi desert and enjoy several days at an ecotourism ger camp, mixing with the local community, before rejoining the rail line to China. Using local train services and breaking our journey in Inner Mongolia too, we get to see Mongolia at its unspoilt best.

This epic tour combines staggering architecture with nomadic cultures, breathtaking landscapes with the lure of long-distance rail travel. Joining together the three ancient capitals of Moscow, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing, with spectacular scenery and warm welcomes in between, this classic rail journey offers something for all travellers.

Highlights

• Trans Mongolian Railway
• The Hermitage and canals of the 'Venice of the North’ - UNESCO World Heritage-listed St Petersburg
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Red Square and the multi-coloured onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral
• Ovoo shamanistic repositories
• The Naadam Festival
• Takhi wild horses on the steppe
• Former Soviet Union-influenced Ulaanbaatar
• Ger camping in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve
• The Buddhist grottoes and Hanging Monastery of Datong
• The Forbidden City

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive St Petersburg2-3: St Petersburg4-6: Moscow7-9: Trans Mongolian Railway10-13: Irkutsk - Lake Baikal14: Trans Mongolian Railway15: Ulaanbaatar16: Trans Mongolian Railway - Ikh Nart17-19: Ikh Nart Nature Reserve20-21: Trans Mongolian Railway - Hohhot22-23: Beijing

What's It Like?

Gecko's adventures offer authentic experiences and a genuine alternative to backpacking. Our trips are designed for younger travelers on a budget but do include the entrance fees to the ‘must see’ sights while not wasting your money on unnecessary frills. Itineraries utilize public transport and basic twin share accommodations in small locally owned hotels, the occasional multi-share, or simply floor space in a jungle or village hut. Many trips involve some physical activity, the occasional long traveling day and you will need to carry your own bags. On camping trips, meals are freshly prepared by our camp cook, but expect to put up and take down your tent, and assist with camp chores. On all trips we only use local tour leaders who are passionate about their homeland. This is travel, grassroots style - basic but rewarding.

Included:

Gecko's tour guide, local site guides, transport, sightseeing and entrance fees. You have an expert local site guide at each stop, but will not be escorted on the trains.

International flights, arrival and departure transfers, departure and airport taxes, visas, all other meals, all optional tours or activities during free time, transfers outside of the tour program, travel insurance, tips and items of a personal nature.

You have an expert local site guide at each stop, but will not be escorted on the trains.